WGC Play-Off | Shubhankar Sharma goes down fighting to Sergio Garcia in the first match
Indian Golfer Shubhankar Sharma almost pulled off a stunning victory in his first match against reigning Masters Champion Sergio Garcia who managed to scrape through in the 18th hole of the match. Defending Champion Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy suffered shock defeats in their matches.
India’s golden boy, Shubhankar Sharma, who impressed in the last month’s World Golf Championship in Mexico, which was the 22-year old’s first WGC had set the expectation bar high ahead of the ongoing WGC tournament. Two-time European Champion Sharma was drawn against Master Champion, Sergio Garcia, in the first match of the tournament, which would never be an easy encounter.
But the young lad from India put up a brave fight as he took the game to Garcia and made sure the experienced Spaniard had to work hard for his victory. Sharma led at various stages of the match before being level at the 18th tee. In a thrilling end to the match, Garcia pulled ahead to win the last hole and the match in his first appearance since becoming a father last month.
“I played very well and I am very proud of the way I played. Both Sergio and
“It could have gone anyway at the last and I have to congratulate Sergio as he played a fantastic up-and-down for par from the bunker. I just feel like I made a few too many mistakes today and not enough birdies, as I do normally,” Sharma told the website http://www.GolfbyTourMiss.com
The WGC Play-Off day one had a few surprising results in store for Golf fans around the globe, which included shock defeats to defending Champion Dustin Johnson at the hands of Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, who stunned Johnson 3&1 while Peter Uihlein managed to beat former World number one Rory McIlroy 2&1.
Sharma added that a strong opener meant that his overall morale received a well-deserved boost for the rest of the tournament as the youngster remained optimistic about his chances at the tournament.
“While I’m disappointed not to squeeze out the half point, I will go into tomorrow’s round with a lot of confidence having played alongside the Masters champion. I still have a lot more left in me and I am confident I can play better tomorrow, so I’ve gained a lot of confidence today,” Sharma added.
